Hearing on AB 493 would require decommissioning plans and recycling targets for utility-scale and leased solar systems

The Senate Committee on Growth and Infrastructure heard testimony on Assembly Bill 493, a bill to require disposal and decommissioning plans for utility-scale solar projects and for owners of leased distributed-generation systems and to set material-recovery expectations for photovoltaic (PV) panels.

Evelyn Butler of the Solar Energy Industries Association, who presented the bill, said the proposal focuses on end-of-life management for PV panels in utility-scale projects and for distributed-generation systems where a third party owns or leases the equipment. Butler emphasized the bill would not impose new decommissioning obligations on individual homeowners who own their rooftop systems.

Under the amended bill presented to the committee, owners of utility-scale projects and owners of leased distributed systems would file decommissioning or disposal plans with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). Plans must describe intended reuse or recycling strategies and a target material-recovery rate for photovoltaic panels of 90 percent or greater by weight at end of life. The assembly amendment removed provisions addressing battery recycling that were in the original draft.

Supporters including Western Resource Advocates, Tesla (via counsel), Nevada Conservation League and commercial recyclers told the committee the bill would help Nevada manage the growing volume of PV panels as projects age and be favorable for public health and the circular-economy development of recycling. Brett Scalari, representing a commercial recycler, said his firm is prepared to accept material and urged the committee to advance a framework that enables local recycling businesses.

Jennifer Carr, administrator for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, testified NDEP is neutral on Assembly Bill 493 in its reprint-1 form and said the division implements federal rules for solid and hazardous waste. Carr said a panel becomes regulated as solid waste when discarded and could be hazardous waste depending on composition, and that NDEP supports the addition of reporting that would inform the state's recycling report.

Committee members asked for clarification that the bill would not apply to individual homeowners who own their systems; proponents confirmed the text exempts homeowner-owned systems and focuses on utility-scale and leased portfolios. No committee vote was recorded at the hearing.